The present invention relates to a multiuse recreational chair that can be used in a variety of situations and environments. Generally, these chairs have been made of lightweight materials and are often collapsible to enhance the portable nature of this type of chair. One existing problem with these chairs, however, is that they are not adaptable to many different outdoor environments. One situation, in particular, that has not been well addressed by current chairs on the market is a suitable chair to be used with bleachers at ball parks, stadiums and other outdoor arenas.
One example of a chair that attempts to address the bleacher seat problem is disclosed within the U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,834 to Mason. The chair disclosed by Mason is adapted for use on a conventional bleacher seat having a single plank as a bench. These bench-type seats are often uncomfortable due to the fact that they have no back rest on which a person can lean. Mason attempts to resolve this problem by using an attachment to the bench that hooks around the plank and provides a flexible back to lean back upon.
The bleacher attachment of Mason suffers from several disadvantages. The first is that the construction of Mason""s backrest causes the uprights of the backrest to collapse inwardly toward a person""s body when he leans back upon the flexible backing. The collapse of the back rest defeats the major purpose of the device, which is to improve the comfort of a conventional bench seat. Another disadvantage of Mason""s device is that it does nothing to improve a person""s comfort relative to the bench seat. Bench seats are often hard and can collect and retain moisture making the seats very uncomfortable. With Mason""s device, it would be necessary to carry an additional seat cushion or a sheet of waterproof material to make the bench more comfortable. A further disadvantage of Mason""s device is that it is made for a single purpose, specifically as a backrest for bench seats, and cannot be adapted for other outdoor or recreational uses.
It is an object of this invention to provide a chair that can be adapted for use with a bleacher-type seat that allows a person to lean back upon a back rest and have a layer of material over the bench to provide further comfort to the user. Another object the invention is to provide a chair that is adaptable to a variety of environments and recreational situations. It is a further object of the invention to provide a chair that is simple in design and manufacture, collapsible for easy portability of the device, and sturdy in construction to withstand a variety of conditions. Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompany drawings.
The present invention comprises a chair having a backrest hinged or otherwise attached, evenly removably attached, to a seat portion. The seat portion includes telescoping members on either side of a sheet of material attached between the telescoping supports. The supports include hook members that can be hooked around a bleacher seat or alternatively be used as legs of the chair in outdoor environments such as a beach or campsite. The telescoped supports include a spring bias to force the hooks to remain hooked around a bench seat when the chair is used in a bleacher environment. The back of the seat includes a backrest against which a user can lean to allow further comfort. Rigid cross supports are provided to ensure that the chair remains in a stable position when in use. The hinge between the back and seat portions allow the device to collapse onto substantially a single plane to allow the seat to be easily carried and stored.